Choosing the Best Steam Microwave Oven

Steam cooking is the best way to prepare meals with the most nutrients and vitamins remaining in your food. However, buying appliances that steam cook can be expensive and are bound to consume counter space that most of us already have little of. This begs to answer the question, how can I prepare healthy meals by steaming food without draining my wallet and available counter space? Well, a new class of microwave ovens are being built that provide a solution for this growing need.

How Do Steam Microwaves Work?

Steam microwaves essentially work like most traditional microwaves but are built with added functionality to provide additional cooking options. In fact, the added features provide many different cooking styles in addition to steam cooking. For steaming, microwaves provide heat to the chamber that evaporates the water added to the reservoir before cooking. Most of these microwaves also have digital functions for slow traditional oven styles and even grilling that in combination with steam provide very moist nutritious meals. Additionally, many of these advanced microwaves do away with the standard revolving plate and instead use a rack style chamber that resembles a tradition oven.

How Do I Know What Style To Choose?

The first thing to consider is what you're intending to use your new microwave for. You also want to consider the space you have to utilize with your purchase. And, most importantly, you want to forecast the styles of cooking and dishes you will make in your microwave. To help know where to start looking, steam microwave ovens can be categorized into three main groups based on size.

Small

These ovens are compact and well suited for those who have little space to begin with. Because of their size their power levels tend to be lower while still delivering quality cooking. The amount of food they can cook at one time is smaller meaning it requires less power to heat the food. It also means that some cooking styles like slow baking and long duration cooking may not be included. However, it does mean they use less space, consume less energy, and cost less than larger models.

Medium

The jack of all trades. These are the mid-range ovens featuring different models to meet various needs. Their size provides enough space for most applications without being too small or too large. Some models are built to meet small budgets and are built without premium functions while other models are intended to provide the option to replace all other appliances but can be priced higher.

Large

These are the big boys and are built to be your all-in-one appliance. It's possible to never use another appliance when you own one of these because how well these ovens replicate cooking styles. They provide large space and preloaded cooking programs to cook food in almost any style you can think. Although they provide what several appliances do in one unit, they do require a lot of space and are expensive to buy.

Following this basic guide about steam microwave ovens and the different styles, you should now have a good understanding about where to begin finding the right steam microwave for you. Remember that every model is different and each unit has unique features. For the best shopping experience and buyer satisfaction start with the information found here by narrowing down from the category that best works for you. Then research the specific details of each model to find an oven that suits your needs best.